Black women are trailblazers, outstanding talents impacting and pulling off impressive transformations across various spheres. Over the years, black sisters have begun getting recognition, although more work needs to be done to give them their deserved recognition.
Forbes has released its highly anticipated 18th annual list of FORBES 100 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN IN THE WORLD and women of color on the list include Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris (no.2), and media mogul Oprah Winfrey ( no.23). Just three African women make the coveted list: Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (no. 91), President of Tanzania, Ms. Samia Suluhu Hassan (no. 94) and Nigerian Media Mogul, EbonyLive founder Mo Abudu (no.98).
Topping the list is Mackenzie Scott who helped Jeff Bezos launch Amazon. Recall Scott after the divorce got a quarter of Amazon stake and almost immediately started planning on giving it all away. Scott worth $57 billion In a little more than two years has given $8.6 billion to 780 organizations promoting issues on gender equality, racial justice, public health, and beyond, this among other reasons inform Forbes’ decision to crown Mackenzie Scott its Most Powerful Woman in the World.
These iconic women were honored for breaking the gender divide and carving out a name for themselves in male-dominated fields.
Okonjo-Iweala and Hassan made the list under Politics and Policy category while Abudu earned her place in the Media and Entertainment category.
An economist and international development expert, Okonjo-Iweala who served as a two-time minister is the first woman and African to helm the WTO.
Hassan became Tanzania’s sixth president and first-ever female leader in March 2021.
Abudu is a global media expert who launched her Ebonylife TV, a network that now airs in more than 49 countries across Africa, as well as in the UK and the Caribbean in 2006 and has struck major partnership deals with Sony Pictures Television, AMC Networks, and Netflix. “The deal with Netflix marked the first time an African media company signed a multi-title film and TV agreement with the streaming giant.”
Forbes stated that in 2021, the state of female power has evolved from just one or two years ago. “Women have gained ground in the c-suite—among the women on Forbes’ 18th annual list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women are 40 CEOs, the most since 2015, who oversee a record $3.3 trillion in revenue. But what they gained in the boardroom, they lost elsewhere. For instance, there are two fewer female heads of states than a year ago.”
